Two new Austinites exploring all things delicious that the city has to offer.

Monday, February 23, 2009

KG Sushi Train

Hello KAT fans! Sorry it's been so long. Han and I have both been preparing special investigative pieces (mine looking into the best cup of coffee in Austin, Han desperately trying to find good crawfish in this city), but above all that, we just bought a house! Hopefully as things settle down, and once we're able to complete our "research" (HA!) we'll have more posts up shortly.

Anyways, let's get back to the food. The KG Sushi Train is actually the latest in-house addition to one of our favorite restaurants, Korea Garden. It's based on a restaurant idea that is very popular over in Asia and parts of California.

The concept is pretty simple. Have you ever been at an airport carousel waiting for your luggage and thought to yourself, "Man, I'd like to take that home too?" Then the Sushi Train is just for you. They seat you at a high bar with a moving conveyor belt that brings by dishes of sushi. Whenever you see something you like, just pull it off the belt and enjoy!

The prices of the dish vary, but are easily decodeable with the color of the dish and the handy-dandy chart on the wall behind you. When you are finished you server will tally up your dishes. Pretty simple, and it's a fun and unique dining experience, although admittedly the gimmick is largely the main appeal.

Now a few things to keep in mind. And maybe this won't apply to you, if you eat with your stomach instead of your eyes, like Han and I do. First off, I would definitely recommend going in with a budget, as it is very easy to rack up a huge bill. Second of all, if you're going on, say, a first date, it is important to pace yourself in order to last for an entire meal. When Han and I went, we went through 13 dishes totalling over $50 in just under 15 minutes (pictured). Our drink orders weren't even back in time before we were finished!

The sushi itself is no different than how we previously reviewed it, and it can be hit or miss. I thought the escolar was excellent, and we went through about 3 dishes of the fried scallops, as they were not only one of the best dishes but one of the cheapest. Also, normally I'm somewhat snobby about California rolls, but the ones they have at KG Sushi Train have made me a believer. For everything else, just use your eyeballs. Everything we tried that looked good, was good.

2 comments:

We tried it out the first week they put the sushi train in. I thought it was somewhat hit or miss as well. But, on opening week every plate was only $1.50 so I just grabbed everything. The Escolar was probably the most memorable dish.